NEED TO KNOW
Jesse McBee is settling into his newest chapter — fatherhood.
The star of the reality TV series McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys spoke about becoming a father in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, noting that it’s been a “whirlwind” of a ride. Jesse and wife Alli McBee welcomed their daughter, Summer, in April.
“Obviously fatherhood has been a whirlwind, a big change in our lives,” says Jesse. “Definitely for me, the first weeks were pretty tough. Not a lot of sleep and it’s taken some getting to used to, but now [Summer’s] kind of growing into herself and has a little personality to her.”
“It’s been really cool to see, especially with Cole’s baby, Blair,” Jesse says of his younger brother. “I kind of got to see the ups and downs of what it takes to raise a baby from 1 month to 6 months old.”
“And I’ve taken little pointers, I guess, from Cole,” he admits. “Which I wouldn’t normally do, but he’s done a really nice job.”
Alli McBee/Instagram
This past October, Jesse married Alli in a “whimsical” ceremony at White Iron Ridge in Smithfield, Mo. Family was at the center of the “modern, country” wedding as McBee’s older brother, Steven, officiated the big day, and the specialty cocktails were even named after the couple’s dogs.
“It’s the ultimate grand gesture of showing that you love someone in the most sacred way,” Alli told PEOPLE of getting married. It’s the “biggest decision you could make in your life and a commitment that you will be there for them through the good times and the bad times.”
The two were high school sweethearts, and their love story began with a private message on Facebook Messenger. Jesse slid into Alli’s PMs after attending her basketball game in 2012, writing, “Hey Alli, great game! :)).” The rest is history.
Paul Andrews/Bravo via Getty
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“The idea of high school sweethearts we feel is a lost art. We love our story and know that people change and grow and learn and we just want to do all of that together,” Jesse told PEOPLE. “We have been through a lot together over the years and have grown stronger because of it. We both love our friends, our families and our life together. We feel our story is special because it is not like anyone else’s.”
At the time, the couple said that they couldn’t wait to live together and start a family. “We have a house in the city and one on the farm and we are always going back and forth between the two and it gets to be a lot sometimes,” Alli explained. “We are excited to have kids. Jesse thinks three is a good number, two boys and a girl.”
“I honestly hope that we just continue to grow together and create a life together. Babies, houses, careers. We want to have kids soon. We love our story,” said Jesse.
